The present invention relates in general to surgical devices and procedures, and more particularly to access devices.
Surgical procedures are often used to treat and cure a wide range of diseases, conditions, and injuries. Surgery often requires access to internal tissue through open surgical procedures or endoscopic surgical procedures. The term “endoscopic” refers to all types of minimally invasive surgical procedures including laparoscopic and arthroscopic procedures. Endoscopic surgery has numerous advantages compared to traditional open surgical procedures, including reduced trauma, faster recovery, reduced risk of infection, and reduced scarring. Endoscopic surgery is often performed with an insufflatory fluid present within the body cavity, such as carbon dioxide or saline, to provide adequate space to perform the intended surgical procedures. The insufflated cavity is generally under pressure and is sometimes referred to as being in a state of pneumoperitoneum. Access devices are often used to facilitate surgical manipulation of internal tissue while maintaining pneumoperitoneum. For example, trocars are often used to provide a port through which endoscopic surgical instruments are passed. Trocars generally have a sealing valve that prevent the insufflatory fluid from escaping while an instrument is positioned in the trocar. As a further example, hand access devices are also used during endoscopic surgery, sometimes referred to as hand assisted laparoscopic surgery (“HALS”). A HALS access device will typically seal around a surgeon's hand or arm to prevent the insufflatory fluid from escaping while allowing the surgeon to manipulate tissue within the patient's body. Iris valves are sometimes used to provide a seal in access devices.
While access devices and iris seals are known, no one has previously made or used an access device in accordance with the present invention.